Electrical connector having a mating slide with customized camming slot

Abstract

An electrical connector for mating with a second complementary connector, wherein the electrical connector comprises a camming slide incorporated therein that cooperates with the complementary connector to draw the connector pair together, where in response to mating displacement of the camming slide, a camming lug is driven along a camming slot and in response to de-mating displacement of the camming slide, the camming lug is driven oppositely along the camming slot the connector being characterized in that in response to the mating displacement the camming lug is driven along a first camming surface and in response to the de-mating displacement the camming lug is driven along a second camming surface. The improved camming slide providing for the greatest mechanical advantage where needed in both the mating and de-mating strokes of the camming slide.

We claim: 
     
       1. An electrical connector for mating with a mating connector, wherein the electrical connector comprises a camming slide incorporated therein that cooperates with the mating connector to draw the connectors together, wherein response to mating displacement of the camming slide that is a linear movement transverse to the mating displacement, a camming lug is driven within a camming slot and in response to de-mating displacement of the camming slide that is a linear movement opposite the linear movement for mating the camming lug is driven oppositely within the camming slot, where in response to the linear movement of the camming slide effecting the mating displacement, the camming lug is driven along a first camming surface and in response to the linear movement effecting de-mating displacement, the camming lug is driven along a second camming surface where the second camming surface is a curved path profiled to provide the least de-mating displacement at the start of the de-mating linear movement of the camming slide. 
     
     
       2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first camming surface and the second camming surface have different profiles. 
     
     
       3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first camming surface includes linear segments. 
     
     
       4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first and second camming surfaces are profiled to provide less displacement of the mating connectors relative to the displacement of the camming slide where the corresponding resistance is greater than the displacement where the resistance is less. 
     
     
       5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the camming side is of U-shaped construction having opposing arms containing camming slots therein and the arms extend from a gripping portion. 
     
     
       6. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the camming slot includes an entry portion for receiving the camming lug as the connectors are mated and a locked seat position where the camming lug is seated when the connectors are mated, the second camming surface curved profile being tangent to the locked seat position. 
     
     
       7. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the camming slot is part of the camming slide.